How:Anastasia's Story
by miss sophie potter
Summary: Been Reposted. Anastasia Lankford grew up in England as Annie Lupin. Then she gets Marked and everything changes, including her. Her own twin seems to hate her, and she can't keep a relationship going if she tried. Why did life like to torment the Lupins?
1. Introductions

**A/N: Okay, I'll say this one time. In all actuality, I'll say it in each chapter, but whatever. Okay, again, I don't own House of Night or Harry Potter. If I did, you'd better believe that I wouldn't be writing fanfiction while I could be putting money to good use and doing stuff like shopping in NYC……lucky K-Chan, getting to go to NYC…..blah, blah. Anyways…….this is the story of how Anastasia came to be Marked, how she met Dragon and moved to teach at the Tulsa HON and all the other stuff in between, which I am making up, by the way. And in my crazy, weird, jumbled, messy room looking mind, Dragon is, in actual years, about twenty or so years older than Anastasia. Get over it or don't read it, comprendre(French for understand, if you didn't already know that)? And, before I get some crap in reviews about how all of this is evil, I don't believe it. I'm Christian, but the first person who sends that review needs to get an education on equality and all of that other stuff. You have no right to tell people what to believe. And if I get anything wrong, do tell. As stated before, what I put in her, I get from HON. Alright, enough babbling on my part. On with the story! Enjoy. *author meekly realizes what she forgot to mention.* Sigh, the most awesome beta K-Chan can not yet beta this story because she has not yet read HON, but she's going to eventually. Once we're on summer break most likely, because we have a big English Book Review thingy to due, and it happens to be a big part of our grade. And K-Chan is a perfectionist, soooo, she has to concentrate.*smiles nervously as K-Chan smiles evilly and narrows eyes* And I'm re-posting because I got a lot of information wrong last time and needed to fix it. And I had a lot of mistakes that needed fixing as well. Okay, now on with the story, I swear!**

I, Annie Lupin, was seventeen years old and in my last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My twin brother Remus Lupin, our group of friends which consisted of James Potter, his girlfriend Lily Evans, Sirius Black, who was very gay and would never, ever admit to it. Oh, and this really creepy tag-a-long kid, Peter Pettigrew. We spent our days pranking the Slytherins (And getting detention for it), getting good grades(we did not cheat, I swear) and having an overall fun life. We made fun of Voldie-Warts(which did not amuse Remus in any since. Or Lily. Or any of our professors), we mourned our losses(James' parents were some of the best to fall) and fought secretly when we could(And got caught a few times. That was bad).

I had always thought myself lucky to have been left alone when my brother was attacked by Greyback. I mean, looking back, we should have had more sense than to go to a Halloween party on a full moon. But I won't get into that, it still hurts to think about it.

We sat in the common room, smiles on our faces as Sirius jokingly gave my brother a lap dance, much to Remus' disgust. I saw my twin's pleading look and changed the subject. "Hey, did you guys see that blonde guy with the weird tattoos on his face earlier? It looked like he was looking our way." Sirius finally stopped molesting my brother and turned to me. We had all heard of Marked Vampyres, but they were so rare in the Wizarding world, and they seemed to drop out of existence, their families ashamed.

He smirked. "Don't tell me you didn't notice, when he was talking to McGonagall, that he gestured to you and looked dead at you like five times.

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. "Fine. I won't tell you. And how do you know, Mr. I-Like-My-Closet-Too-Much-To-Come-Out, that he wasn't staring or pointing at one of you lot?"

The others all burst out laughing as Sirius, once again, insisted that he was very straight, thank you very much. Then Professor McGonagall walked in, and the joking atmosphere vanished with what she said. "Annie Lupin, this is Professor Dragon Lankford from the House of Night in London. He says that he has something to tell you about your life after graduation. Good evening to you all." She nodded at all of us and left the room.

It clicked then, Sirius had been partially right. This Dragon person was here for me. But it wasn't bad, I was just going to get Marked. I took Dragon Lankford in. He was about Five foot Seven inches, naturally, like everyone else on the freakin' planet Earth was, taller than my Five foot One inch frame. It was going to be the death of me, this shortness I had been cursed with.(A/N: Yes, I am really that short. Not fun when all but one of your friends are taller than you.*smiles and waves at K-Chan "innocently"*) he had dirty blond hair pulled back in a pony tail and had a sapphire tattoo that was composed of a filled-in crescent moon and two dragons winding down his face. Freaky, much?

He cleared his throat and my attention, along with my twin's and my friends' attention, was completely focused on him. "I'm not sure where to begin. We usually explain what goes on in the House of Night after a fledgling had been Marked, not before. But, I shall do my best. Annie, isn't it?" I nodded, thinking that this Dragon bloke couldn't be too bad if he wasn't trying to eat anyone yet. "Well, Annie, here's the thing, at the House of Night, we have flopped days. Our days are nights to humans, our nights their days. We have to drink blood, or we'll lose our minds and die from what might be considered a type of starvation. We hold rituals for our Goddess, Nyx, twice a week in the temple. We thank her for what she has blessed us with. There is, however, a slim chance that you, like some other fledglings, won't complete the change. You'll die and you won't come back. But I'm sure you will, you seem special." He smiled at me and I blushed. Was he telling the truth? Could I actually be considered special after so many years of just having my needs placed second next to my werewolf brother's? And I knew that being even a little resentful towards Remus was wrong, especially since he didn't ask for it. But our dad did little except give Remus whatever he wanted or needed without a second glance at me. Our step-mother, Sarah, was the person who had taken care of me during the full moon. My connection with Remus was a twin-telepathy type thing, but different. We could feel each other, where the other was at, if they were hurt and what they were saying was heard, along with others around them, and what they were doing was felt. Thankfully, we were both virgins, because that would have been awkward. But it was different on the full moon; he had painful transformations into a werewolf, and I had insomnia attacks when he was running around as a wolf. But I'd take the no sleep thing next to the pain I would have normally felt. My dad was going to freak. He never wanted his other child to become an outcast, and he was mega-conservative Christian, so my new worshipping of a goddess would most likely give him a heart attack.

I smiled back and nodded. "Okay, so I'm going to be Marked after graduation?" A nod. "Cool, so what do I need to bring with me? I mean, should I leave anything behind, or can I just take anything with me?"

My brother, along with Lily and James, rolled his eyes, but Sirius looked upset. I was his shopping buddy, because everyone else thought that he was ridiculously picky about fashion. Please, like you could be too picky about fashion. Peter, creepy freak that he was, looked ready to say he was my boyfriend. Um, please. Just please(Can't take credit for that, got the line from HON) , enough with the stupid kid trying to score out of his league.

Dragon himself chuckled. "You can bring whatever your heart desires, my lady." Holy crap, did he just call me his lady? Dear goddess, I think I might swoon. I didn't want to look like a fool, however, so I settled for blushing(again) and nodding shyly. He stood up. "If one of you would escort me to the boy's dormitory, I need to call my High Priestess and inform her that you have agreed and will be Marked approximately three days after graduation." I stood and led him to the boy's staircase and to Remus' dorm room that he shared with James, Sirius and Perv-I mean, Peter. I warned him that Peter might try to hurt him if he slept, and to be careful. "Do not worry, my lady, I am awake when he is asleep, so if he tries anything, he will only meet a warrior ready to fight. Is he the one you date?"

I burst out laughing and felt tears roll down my face as I sank down on the staircase. "Good Goddess no. I wouldn't date Peter if my life depended on it, I won't even be alone with him, he creeps me out big time. And I meant during the day, while you are asleep. Be careful, okay, you seem like a nice guy, and it would be a shame for you to be offed by some jealous creeper."

He held out his hand to help me off of the floor. "Once again, do not fear for me. I am leaving tonight, under a cloaking spell that only another Marked Vampyre can detect. Do not fear for me, Annie, I am safe."

I nodded, realizing that arguing was pointless because Dragon was, as most men are, extremely stubborn. But then another, less pleasant, thought registered in my brain. Apart form rolling his eyes at my questions about taking my stuff, he hadn't talked or showed much emotion at all, really. He normally would have been firing off a million questions at a time because, werewolf or not, the Vampyre's way of life had always fascinated and intrigued him. So, before I could stop my self, I blurted out, "Dragon, can you read minds?"

"Some, why?" He faced me curiously.

"I think something's wrong with my brother. He was too quiet. He should have been asking you so many questions you would have to tell him to slow the hell down before he causes someone to blow a circuit. Did you pick up on something?"

"Nothing. The red haired girl was thinking that he was too quiet as well. And the darker haired boy seemed upset about losing his fellow "shopping slut". Your Priestess mentioned nothing like that when she told me about you." He had one eyebrow raised at me, his deep blue eyes amused. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Annie, back up. You remember your last dating disaster, and this guy is off limits, he's going to be your teacher! I mentally screamed at myself.

"Not something she'd be likely to inform you of, but yeah, it's true. We have shopping problems. We actually live on it, and we're actually thinking about starting a new breed of humans that lives off of fashion and shopping, but we need an outside opinion. So, what do you think of that?" He laughed again, which made me smile to myself. At least he understood sarcasm. Okay, I have been a little too heavy on the sarcasm, but, yeah, it might actually be possible. We got to the door and I pointed him in and went back downstairs, all the while thinking that things were never going to be the same.


	2. Everything Changes

_**A/N: Still don't own*makes sad face* Just so you know, this chapter portrays a darker, more judgmental side of Remus. If this had actually happened, I think that Remus would never have mentioned a sister because of what he does and the way he acts. Anastasia gets Marked, and he convinces everyone, even McGonagall and Dumbledore, to go along with that rumor. It is, of course, not true. And our favorite characters from Harry Potter will see that in much, much later chapters. And so does Anastasia, but she finds out when she has a visit from the Marauders for the first time. Oh, and Remmy is just what Anastasia used to call Remus when they were younger. There'll be some side stories as to how that got started, and why she started calling him that in the first place. And now, Chapter Two!**_

**I crept silently down the stairs quietly, trying to see if I could catch anything that my friends were saying. I really wish I hadn't done that, especially after what I heard. "You can't just abandon her Moony. Not only do you two have a very strong connection with your twin-ness, but she's never abandoned you. Not even when Sarah told her she could have because of the way you guys' dad treats her. Your step-munster(totally owe that term to my own awesome "Step-Munster", she rocks)**, as you like to call her, isn't all that bad. She's looked after Annie for as long as I can remember. And I'm sure you remember that it was her who talked my parents into letting us hang out together before Hogwarts."

"Oh, can't I just ditch her, Pads? Theses Vampyres aren't natural. You remember learning about them, they hardly ever come from the Wizarding world and so that makes her a freak twice in a row. It's best for a clean break anyway."

"What?!" Everyone except Peter yelled. Peter was nodding enthusiastically at Remus.

"She'll just stop talking to us eventually you guys. They're supposed to. That's what we learned in that really weird seminar that we had. My great-grandfather had a muggle friend that got Marked. And his friend told him he couldn't be friends with a human. And don't any of you sit there and tell me Annie'll be different, because she won't be. She'll be like the rest of them. They're all the same. Humans mean less to them than dirt, unless it's meal time."

I heard Sirius sigh at my brother. "Moony, don't say that. That's like saying all werewolves are bloodthirsty monsters when we all know that they're not. And you know that Annie won't be like that. She's different because she loves all of us. Well, most of us anyway, sorry Wormtail. She just thinks that you're creepy."

Remus scoffed. "Whatever Padfoot. Just leave it. She'll eventually break it off, or maybe she won't even say goodbye and just vanish."

I stifled my sobs and ran back up to the dorm to tell Dragon that I had changed my plans. I was leaving with him. Tonight, whether he wanted me to or not. He had just been about to hang up and when he finished talking he turned to me. "Is your brother's stony silence really worth leaving so quickly over?"

I let my tears spill over. "It's not that. When I went back down to the common room I heard them talking. Remmy (I used the childhood nickname, trying to hold onto hope that my brother hadn't, in fact, abandoned me) doesn't want to be around me now that I've been Marked. He said that all Vampyres are the same, and that it's better for a clean break, so that it hurts less when I'm supposedly going to break it off with all of them." I shook my head and stopped crying, something I had mastered over the years. " I need to get my stuff from the girls' dorm, then we'll go and see the Headmaster. I want to leave notes for all of them, so they know that I won't forget about them, or stop caring. Clearly concerned, Dragon handed me paper and pen.

_Remmy,_

_I heard you. That's why I'm leaving. You've broken my heart with the way you could so easily discard your own sister. I don't know how I thought that you could accept me, you barely accept yourself. To you and dad I'll just be another abnormality to cover, but tell Sarah I love her and to come visit at the House of Night. Tell dad that I'll love and miss him, even though he'll be even less accepting that you're being. I promise not to forget you, and I promise to never stop loving you. You're my brother and I love you no matter what, and I really wish you'd feel like that about me. It's called unconditional love, which is how mum felt before she died, and how I wish you and dad felt. Like Sarah feels about us, even though we're not her biological children. Please keep in touch. I'll let you know if I make the Change, or anything else of equal importance. Just, keep me updated on the status of the world. And for Merlin's sake, tell me when you get that stick out of your arse and get laid, would ya? We can't let this come between us, Remmy._

_Love,_

_Annie._

_Sirius,_

_Hey, I'm sorry for running out on you guys like this, but after what Remmy said, I couldn't stay. I'm always going to miss our shopping trips, but you'll find another shopping slut to enjoy the stores with. Maybe Lily will finally go with you. I'm really going to miss hanging around with you too, your craziness always made this war we're in seem less real. I hope that me going to the House of Night won't cause you to stop talking to me. I wrote a note for Remmy, too, but he's liable to ignore it. So, tell my dad I love him and that I'll miss him. And tell Sarah that I love her and that I'll miss her too, and that I want you and her to visit me when it's permitted. And, in further proof that I have no trust in Remmy to honor my wishes, I want you to inform me when he takes that stick out of his arse and gets laid, okay. I can only imagine your laughter when you read that, and I only wish that I could hear it. Stay in touch, that is, if the owls know the directions to your closet._

_Love, _

_Annie_

_James, _

_Hey, you've been a real good friend, especially when you found out about Remmy. I'm sorry for running out, but I guess it's what's best. Take care of Remmy for me, and make sure no overprotective dad or angry husband shoots or kills Sirius while he hides in his closet. Don't ever leave Lily, or you _will _see me again, understood. I'm glad you finally got your girl._

_Love,_

_Annie_

_Lily,_

_WE don't know each other well, but you're like the sister I never had. I want you to take care of everyone, but watch out for Peter, he's a creep. Stay safe and kick Voldy's arse for me. _

_Love,_

_Annie_

_Peter,_

_Go away you weirdo creeper._

_Annie._

I nodded to Dragon and he led me to the girls' dorm, which was weird because guys weren't normally allowed up there. Then I noticed that the boys and Lily were heading upstairs. Ah, crap. "Your Priestess thought there might be a need for me to enter your dorm. She took off the spell until I leave school grounds. Which one of these trunks is yours?"

I walked over to my bed and put piles of assorted junk into my trunk as neatly as possible, which turned out to be very neat. (I can only be very neat or very messy. And by very messy, I meant wading through piles of junk that cover the floor.) And then, even though it technically wasn't mine to keep, I pulled the comforter off of my bed and stuck it into my trunk. Hogwarts was my home, and I wanted a piece of my old life with me. "This one, right here. Let's go see Dumbledore."

Dragon nodded and I magically lightened my trunk so that it would be easier to carry as we exited through the common room. I didn't even notice Sirius following us until we got to the gargoyle. "Why're you leaving Annie? I thought you would want more time to say goodbye."

I spun around, struggling back tears. "Well, Paddy, it's not complicated. I overheard Remmy saying that he didn't trust me anymore. If he doesn't want me around anymore, I won't stay. There's notes for everyone in the dorm, even creepy stalker boy."

He sighed. "I know. Lily yelled at me to chase you down, which is why I'm here."

I choked back tears the best I could. "Thanks for standing up for me, by the way. Stay in touch, too, I'm going to need a fellow shoppers advice sometime."

He nodded, tears falling down his own face. "Hey, listen Annie. I was going to tell everyone tonight, especially since we were joking about it earlier, but I guess you'll be the first to know. I'm finally coming out of my closet." He turned to Dragon, who I would literally beat up if he made any cracks about Sirius being gay. Nope, none. Good thing too, because Dragon scared the crap outta me. "Take care of her. She's the sister I've always wanted. And the cousin I wish I could replace my crazy one with." Sirius gave me one last hug and departed down the hall.

The two of us went up to Dumbledore's office, but I wasn't coherent at all,so Dragon explained for me. They both looked so ashamed of Remmy, and the way he had acted. "Take this, Miss Lupin. It is the most we can offer you in condolence for your brother's actions." I took the offered diploma from my Head of House/ Priestess, hugging her one last time before shaking hands with Dumbledore and turning to Dragon.

I smiled weakly. "Do your worst."

He looked incredibly nervous, which did nothing to ease my anxiety. "Annie Lupin! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!" I let loose another sob as my forehead exploded in pain and I left my life behind. I started to fall and Dragon caught me, where I woke in an unfamiliar yet comfortable place.


	3. HON

**A/N: Still. Don't. Own. Blah, blah, the usual. Oh, and I decided that Neferet (whom I now hate with a horrible passion) is going to be High Priestess at the Chicago HON, where she'll stay until the time comes to open Tulsa. And, um, Anastasia's friends are sort of modeled after Zoey's, but without as **_**much**_** drama. Notice that I say as **_**much**_**, instead of no drama. There are affinities later on, though. And deception, because there is no good plot without deception, agreed? YaY, chapter three….this will be the last one for a while, because I have writers block and an AP test. What fun, eh? Really, though, if there are any suggestions for chapter four and beyond, review or PM me and I'll let people know that it was your idea. And most of the stories I have written are going to be taken down and rewritten simply because they need improvement. And YAY the underling problem was fixed!!**

_I smiled weakly. "Do your worst."_

_He looked incredibly nervous, which did nothing to ease my anxiety. "Annie Lupin! Night has chosen thee, thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!" I let loose another sob as my forehead exploded in pain and I left my life behind. I started to fall and Dragon caught me, where I awoke in an unfamiliar yet comfortable place._

I sighed as I looked around a room similar to the Hogwarts hospital wing. But this wasn't Hogwarts, and I felt the need to have Remmy near me. Had we all been tricked, and I had been kidnapped by Moldy-Shorts? Not good. If that was what had happened, what Remus had better do is get over my being Marked real quick like and get his werewolf self to where ever I was. I sighed when I saw Dragon talking to a woman with dark black hair that fell to her waist. Okay, my idiot brother could stay where he was: playing the wounded sibling at Hogwarts with our friends and Peter. Okay, since when did I get so f-ing harsh? I mean, sure, he was being a brat, but that didn't give me the right to be all bitchy. Or did it? I wondered suddenly what my father would tell people who didn't know about me being Marked. Probably some b.s. about me marrying/eloping with some kid that'd been killed in the war.

i was so engrossed in my musings that I hadn't notice Dragon and the new woman wander over to my bed. "Welcome to the London House of Night, Annie Lupin. We have much to discuss." WTF? Who was this woman and why was she staring at me like I was the most enticing thing she'd ever seen? Okay, maybe the bratty werewolf brother would come in handy. "I am Simone, High Priestess of London House of Night and most faithful servant of the Goddess, Nyx." I just gawked at her like the fool I was.

Okay, Remus wasn't here to ask my questions for me. I had to be a good girl and be brave, like the Gryffindor I was/ except I wasn't a Gryffindor anymore, I was a fledgling at the House of Night. Good Goddess that was depressing. I had to suck it up, though. "Why am I here? I mean, why me? I'm not special. I'm just little Annie Lupin, student and the werewolf's sister. My brother's so much more popular, cooler and funnier than me, you'd be better off with him, really." I made to stand up, but then a sharp pain passed through my head and I dropped back down again.

"But the Goddess chose you, my lady. Maybe you should explain some more, Priestess. Annie was upset by something her brother said last night, and I thought, even before that, you would be the best person to explain to her what goes on. I'll leave you two now."

Dragon started for the exit, but Simone halted him. "No. The girl is comfortable with you here. You explain and I'll see if one of my sisters have stopped acting the fool to mentor the young one." With a curt nod in Dragon's direction and a soft smile in mine, Simone left the room.

"Where am I?"

"The infirmary. I'm no tracker, so I'm afraid that you're getting Marked has hurt you more than it should have. The Vampyres here are, unfortunately, being extremely, well they're calling it cautious, but they're afraid of you and the fact that you can do things that they can't. I'm sorry that Simone, Lenobia and myself are the only ones that have Changed that aren't afraid of you. Not too sure about the other fledglings. Any other questions before I explain the House of Night to you?"

I shook my head no. "Any questions about my spiel on why my brother's a better candidate?"

He shook his head no as well, fighting laughter. "Well, I suppose that the basics would be the best place to start. You're legally emancipated now, so you can either change your name, or keep it how it is."

I thought about it for a moment. "A few months ago, the Russian princess Anastasia's remains had been found in an old mine shaft. I had been slightly devastated, since it had ruined all chances of a happy ending for the young royal. She had been thought to be the only survivor of the royal family, and everyone pondered over it for years. I smiled slightly at the thought of everyone's reaction to my new name. "Okay, this is going to sound totally weird, but I'm going to change any name to Anastasia. I know she's dead, but it's always intrigued me that her story might have a happy ending. I'm not, uh, saying, that I want to die or anything, but, well, it's a cool name, and it's original. I think I'm going to stick with my last name, it's pretty original too."

He smiled back at me. "Okay, next is the insignia we wear. You'll wear the spiral, which represents the Goddess's journey because you're a third former. You'll learn about the other symbols later, in Vamp Soc. Here's your schedule, but you'll have to wait, Simone's coming. Not surprisingly, there's no one with her."

Even before she spoke I knew that no one had wanted to be my mentor. I knew because, even with Sarah there to watch out for me, I had often been pushed to the side in order for my brother's needs to be met. Only Lily, James and Sirius stood by me constantly. "I don't have a mentor, do I?"

Simone's jaw fell to the floor. Figuratively. It couldn't _actually _fall to the floor. "Child, how in Nyx's name did you know that?"

I shook my head. "Try being ignored for the greater part of your life by the greater part of the world because you're brother's a werewolf; you'll recognize it immediately. Not being wanted becomes second nature, and you're used to it. Only three or four people have shown me unconditional love, Simone, and it hurts when one of them goes back and forth once and a while. Trust me, I recognize it. Oh, and you can start calling me Anastasia now."

Simone's eyes invaded the privacy of my soul as she looked into my eyes. "Nyx took you out of an unhappy life, child." I opened my mouth to correct her, I had been somewhat happy. "No, you may have been content, but you were shoved to the side very often, and too often over looked for someone with your talent. Now, I don't know what to do about your mentor."

I shook my head. I didn't want to cause Simone stress, I knew how much that sucked. "Simone, it's okay, I don't need a mentor."

Dragon laughed again, and I realized how annoying that was going to get after a while. "No, every fledgling has one. I'll be her mentor, Simone, you'll go crazy trying to figure her out."

I raised my right eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Professor McGonagall. I never could get the left one down pat. "What makes you think that you can figure me out better than she can?"

"Nothing. Simone just doesn't need the stress, she hasn't had to deal with being a mentor since she first became High Priestess. No need to cause more of a ruckus than you already have."

I nodded, then realized what he had said. "Wait, are you insane? I was _born_ to cause a ruckus. But, I suppose I could settle for having you as a mentor." I sighed dramatically, as if it were the worst possible thing I had to live with. He raised an eyebrow at me, fighting a smile. "Kidding. Really, I would rather have you or Simone than any of the other Vampyres that are going to judge me for being a witch."

"Of course you would. But you generally get a mentor with a Vampyre who has the same interests as you or a gift similar to yours." Simone cut off as a tiny woman with a filled in tattoo a silver white hair swept into the room. "Ah, Lenobia, Merry Meet. How is your mother?"

Lenobia sighed. Was this the other Vampyre that wasn't judging me that Dragon had mentioned earlier. "Merry Meet, Dragon, Simone. My mother passed early Friday morning and I have just come from the funeral services. Now, about this new fledgling. Perhaps I could be her mentor." She turned to face me, as if she had only just realized that I was in the room. "What is your name, child?"

I smiled softly. "Anastasia, ma'am, but you've come just about thirty seconds too late. Dragon's my mentor." I jerked my thumb in his direction, then hid my face from his line of vision and stage whispered, "Help me!" in Lenobia's direction.

She chuckled softly. "So, my cousin is your mentor. Well, Anastasia, I wish you the best of luck, he's a pain." With that she turned to walk away, and I laughed when Dragon stuck his tongue out at her in a perfect imitation of Sirius.

After that, Dragon and Simone led me to the girls' dorm rooms. We walked into the main part of the building and I was immediately reminded of the dorms at Hogwarts. There were several groups of girls in the common room, but one group in particular stood out. Maybe it was because they were the only group with a guy hanging around, but I think it's because they were being so loud. Their conversation made me giggle though, the one guy was arguing with a mocha colored girl, a blonde haired girl, and a brown haired girl over whether or not to study vocab. Simone cleared her throat, and their attention went from the 'vocab of doom' to her. "Sheryl, Elise, Derrick, Clara; this is Anastasia. She's in your room, Clara, so I expect you to make her feel welcome.

Clara, the one with brown hair nodded at Simone and opened her mouth to speak when Derrick, a tall boy with dirty blond curls and possibly gay interrupted, "Wait, Anastasia, like the Russian princes?"

I nodded. Definitely gay. "Yeah, like the Russian princess."

Elise, the blonde one raised both of eyebrows. "Why?"

Sheryl, the mocha colored girl nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Twin. What damn demon possessed you to name yourself after a dead kid?"

I blushed and Derrick snorted. "Come on you guys. She's new and so she probably really misses her parents and whatever siblings and friends she left behind. Give her a break, she's gotta be stressed right now. But I want to check something get it out of the way."

I interrupted smoothly. "I know that you're gay, Derrick, and no, I don't care about it."

He smiled hugely. "Thanks. It's good to know that despite the haters out there, people like you exist too."

My eyes narrowed even as I smiled back. "Who was mean to you and where can I find them?"

The Twins burst out laughing and Clara smirked. Derrick merely shook his head at me. "Doesn't matter anymore, good ol' Zeus made the Change a while back."

It was my turn to burst into laughter. "Zeus? You're kidding me right?"

Clara shook her head. "Nope, this kid actually started calling himself Zeus after he was Marked."

Derrick sobered up after a moment. "How did you know I was gay, Anastasia?"

I smiled a little sadly, and my voice was strained when I finally managed to answer. "My best friend just admitted that he was gay when I got Marked. He took so long because he was afraid that the wizarding world wouldn't accept him." _Uh, oh_. Had I really just said that out loud?

Derrick, Sheryl and Elise were all smiling. Clara was nodding. "So you're the mysterious new fledgling. We've been looking forward to this meeting for a very long time. So, have the vamps all stopped being 'cautious' yet, or do you need a mentor still?"

I shook my head. "Dragon's my mentor. He volunteered so that I didn't create a ruckus with having Simone as my mentor. And, uh, are Dragon and Lenobia really related or is that just something you guys do here?"

Derrick nodded. "Yeah, they're actually cousins. They were both Marked on the same day and had the same Mentor, Professor Blake, he teaches Spells and Rituals. Kinda like Sheryl and Elise, except that these two are just soul twins." I nodded, taking it all in, and then I yawned.

Clara stood up. "Okay you lot, time for bed. Anastasia here has had a long day, so she's probably very tired."

I raised my right eyebrow again. "Probably? Clara, sweetheart, I'm about to collapse, I'm so tired." We went down a hallway and to a door with the number thirteen on it. Cool, thirteen was my favorite number. She pointed to my bed, where all of my stuff sat, including the scarlet and gold comforter I had nicked. I snuggled under myn Hogwarts blanket and drifter off into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of screams of pain and flashes of green light.


	4. Nightmares and Sirius

_A/N: I don't own HON or Harry Potter. Please excuse any errors, I hurt my finger in an incident involving a slippery floor and an evil wall of doom, so it's hard to type. This is for Amber Rose Whitlock, my ever faithful reviewer who has her own story posted, _Written in Jasper_, you should go check it out…as in after you're done reading and reviewing here._

I snuggled under my Hogwarts blanket and drifted into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of screams of pain and flashes of green light.

_We were walking home from the muggle neighbor's Halloween party with mum. She held us both by the hands as she asked us about it. We were both, ironically enough, dressed up as wolves. "Did you guys get a lot of candy?"_

_We nodded. "Yes mum." We spoke in unison, being twins and all._

"_Well, when we get home, I'll check it and you guys can eat it tomorrow, okay." Again, we nodded in perfect synchronization. _

_I looked up at the bright full moon above our heads. "Wow guys, check out how full the moon is." _

_That one sentence brought my mother down to earth, full force. She looked in the direction of a rustling we hadn't noticed until then. "Hide behind those bushes over there, and don't come out until I tell you it's safe, okay." Remus grabbed my hand and pulled me down with him. He was only five minutes older than me, but he always said that he was my older brother and he had to protect me._

_Our mum drew her wand and pointed it at the bush that was moving. "Hello Greyback." she murmured, almost too low for us to hear._

_Out of nowhere, a giant wolf jumped out at our mother. She pointed her wand at him. Bu before she had a chance to protect herself, the wolf turned into a human. "It was foolish of you to even try, Allie Lupin." he muttered before, "Avada Kedavra!" The flash of brilliant green that came out of his wand hit mum squarely in the chest and she fell to the ground, lifeless._

_Remus moved to stand up and get the man, but I clutched his arm, mouthing that mum said not to. He shook me off and strode out into the street. The man cackled madly before turning back into a wolf and launching himself at Remus. I could hear the screams as my brother had his arm bitten repeatedly. I started sobbing and screaming for help as soon as the wolf disappeared into the forest. Soon, a man in robes came tearing down the road, a woman and child behind him. The boy was dressed up as Dumbledore, or a wizard, as he told the other children. _

"_Help, please, my brother has been attacked and he killed my mum." The man picked Remus up and told his wife to get me home. _

"Anastasia! Anastasia, wake up" Clara's voice caused me to sit up straight in bed.

"What's up?" I muttered, still shaken from my dream.

Shock colored her face. "What's up?! You're asking _me_ what's up?! Anastasia, you were screaming and sobbing in your sleep. You kept saying something about your brother. His name is Remus, right?"

I nodded, I couldn't do more. I hadn't had that nightmare in ages, so I wanted to know what had caused it to resurface. Clara sighed. "That's it, I'm getting Simone. Something's not right."

I grabbed her arm, stopping her as she turned. "No, not right now. I do solemnly swear that I will go before classes." She nodded and got back into bed, and I turned over, not sleeping again for fear of another nightmare.

_A/N: Sorry this is so short, but it was hurting to type and it was sort of spontaneous. And I made Greyback able to turn into a human at will since he's supposed to be in so much control of when the wolf takes over, almost like an animagus, or Jacob. Jacob...*drools on grandmother's computer* oopise!_


	5. Author's Note

**Hey everyone, sorry that this isn't a chapter, but you need to know something: I broke my hand, so it isn't very likely that I will update. I may or may not update. I'll try, I swear, but it isn't likely. I'm very sorry, but I can't help my clumsiness and the fact that the wall was a little too close to the door frame and my hand slapped between the two rather hard….again, sorry. I swear, when I heal I will make up for it….please, please forgive me.**


	6. Hey look, an actual chapter!

_A/N: Okay, so, the doctor hasn't actually told me that it's okay for me to be typing and such, but I can have it out of the brace for hours without it hurting, so I'm updating anyways…*sigh* I don't own. And thank you for all of the reviews wishing me and my injured hand well…they helped me keep moral during the period of boredom I had to endure._

I was awake later that morning, when my alarm went off. However, I didn't see fit to pay much attention to it until a very clearly asleep Clara muttered, "Anastasia, turn that damn thing off before I toss it out the window and hope some cats eats it for a snack!"

Grumbling under my breath, I just sort of sluggishly turned it off. Then, deciding that a shower was in order after I had sat awake most of the night, I trudged out of bed. Shuffling my way over to my closet, I picked out a pair of faded blue jeans, my Gryffindor Lions t-shirt and a school sweater. Seeing as the shirt was bright red with gold writing, it didn't seem to me as though it would match the school's theme, which I presumed from a brief glance at the students last night, was mostly blacks and dark blues. Having done that, I stumbled, still rather tired, into the bathroom and sat my outfit on the counter. Turning around, I fixed the water temperature t my liking, and then stripped before stepping in and letting the hot water slowly wake me up.

After I felt fully awake, I actually washed. Turning the water off, I stepped out and made to grab a towel, only to find Sirius standing there, grinning like an idiot. My eyes went wide, and when he realized that I was naked, he yelped and slapped a hand over his eyes. There was a knock on the door. "Are you alright?"

I turned to the door. "I'm fine, Clara, I just stubbed my toe." I turned back to Sirius, a towel now covering my body. "What are you doing here?" I hissed out.

He slowly turned to face me, still grinning, though it was starting to fade a little. "Nothing, just thought I'd stop by to say hello. But if you don't want me here, I'll go." He gripped his wand as he spoke and made to disapparate.

I grabbed his arm. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I was wondering what on Earth you were doing in my bathroom of all places, and while I'm showering, no less."

He smirked at me. "It's cool Annie, I'm gay, 'member?" I nodded, though it was hard to keep from going pale at the use of my old name. "What's wrong?"

I blinked, then realized that I had yet to get dressed. "Erm, Paddy, could you close and cover your eyes until I get dressed, please?"

He blinked before realization came over him as well. "Wha-oh, yeah, sure." He covered his eyes dutifully while I dressed and I tapped him on the shoulder when I was finished.

"You wanted to know what's wrong. Here, I can change my name. I changed it to Anastasia. And no, it's not because I want to forget my old life, but, um, Remus came up with that nickname, and right now, thinking of him hurts, so yeah. Oh, and I had that old nightmare again, the one about coming home from the party with mum and Remus. I didn't go back to sleep afterwards, I was too afraid that it would come back."

Then I paused, having heard voices. "I don't know, Simone, it just sounds like she's talking to someone. And it's a guy, at least it sounded like one." My eyes went wide. Clara had gone to Simone, even though I had specifically asked her not to.

Sirius seemed to notice this, and his eyes did the exact opposite of mine; they narrowed. I knew what was on his mind. Above all else in this world, Sirius valued friendship. If you weren't a loyal friend, then you were the scum of the earth. And I could see that right now, he was pretty pissed at Clara for not doing what I had asked.

There was a tentative knock on the door. "Anastasia, are you in there with someone?" Simone's voice drifted through the door. I looked at Sirius and sighed. We didn't really have another choice.

"Yeah, a friend of mine from Hogwarts."

'Bring him out here please." I opened the door and Sirius stepped out with me. Along with Simone and Clara, Dragon and his cousin Lenobia were there too. Upon the sight of Sirius, Dragon burst out laughing, and I immediately remembered.

Clara huffed. "I don't see how it's fair that she gets to have boys up here with her when the rest of us don't."

I joined in with Dragon's laughter now; Clara was being what was clearly defined as a Slytherin. I didn't want to judge, but I made a mental note to keep an eye on her. "Clara, Sirius is gay. He's the friend I told you lot about last night, when Derrick told me that he was gay."

Clara nodded, then stalked out of the room. Dragon looked at me and burst out laughing again. "What?!" I asked, starting to get annoyed.

Sirius chuckled from behind me. "Annie, doll, it's Saturday. I came to visit with Prongs and Lily-Flower. Sarah's here too, and Andy, with Dora and Ted." I smiled brightly, not having the heart to be miffed at the thought of waling up so early on a Saturday at the prospect of seeing my friends. "Moony's at home with you guys' dad. You know, I think, deep down, he really wants to be here, but he's afraid that your dad'll reject him. You should get him here, doll. He wants to see you, I know he does. And as it turns out, he had the same nightmare. Now, let's go so that you can be smothered in the hugs of doom." Walking arm in arm with Sirius over the grounds of the House of Night, I felt that nothing could go wrong. I should have known that it wouldn't last.

_A/N: There you go, a nice, long chapter. I would post but it is 1:54 in the am, so I'm going to go get some sleep before waking up early to go take my grandma to the doctor's office. And, on a more random side not, does anyone ever wonder why doctors call what they do a practice? That's right, instill confidence into the masses!_


	7. News and Finality

_A/N: Okay, so here's another chapter…*sigh* Well, here we go. I'm sorry, on top of the fact that I can only get on the internet about once a week, but I have summer work, and I have to see a counselor…*sigh* Blah, here we go._

I skipped down the stairs of the dorm building with Sirius, and right outside were Sarah, James, Lily, Andromeda, Ted and Dora. I squealed. "Prongs! Lily!" I threw myself at James, nearly knocking him off of his feet as he caught me. I heard Clara snort as the Twins came out. I spun around, catching Derrick coming over as I faced the three on the steps. "Clara, Sheryl, Elise, Derrick, these are my friends Lily, James and Sirius, my stepmother Sarah, Sirius' cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted, her daughter Dora." They all muttered hellos and shook hands, except Clara. She was glaring at everyone, looking very cranky.

"What's wrong with her?" I would have continued to ignore Clara's mood if Lily hadn't pointed it out.

I shrugged. "Dunno. Clara, is something wrong?" I tried to meet her eyes, but she turned to the main building.

"No. Listen, I have something to do, right after breakfast, so I'll meet you lot back here." She turned for the main school building until Derrick called for her.

"Breakfast is in the dorms, Clara!" She held up and apple she was eating as she walked. "Oh, I wonder what she's up to."

I grinned. "What do the Marauders and Co. think of playing Secret Agent?"

Sirius started jumping up and down, James and Lily were grinning, along with Ted and Dora, while Andromeda, Sarah, Dragon and Simone looked disapproving. "You guys don't have to come. You can stay here and Simone can explain the finer points of the school to Sarah. Let's go guys." Sheryl, Elise, Derrick, Sirius, Lily and James started following me. I saw Clara looking around furtively as she neared the main building, then, upon seeing that no one was there, changed direction and walked to the Professors' building.

Sirius stopped. "Guys, this doesn't seem right. I think we should head back."

While the others all gave him weird looks, I gave a nod. "He's right. I can feel it, if we go in there after her, something bad's bound to happen. Let's just go back to the dorm and get some breakfast, okay. Watch some TV," I added, smirking just the tiniest bit when James and Sirius looked confused.

As we walked back to the dorm, we heard a scream. Abandoning all pretense, we all ran toward the dorm as quickly as possible, and skidded to a halt right outside the building. The scream came again, this time from and inside, and now we could hear the panicky words. "No! No, that's not true! No! I refuse to believe it!"

Panicking now, we raced up the stairs and into the room and into the Commons. Sarah was on the floor, sobbing, and Remus was there, looking grave. Sirius walked up to him. "Moony, mate, what's up?"

He sighed. "Dad wanted me to drag Annie bodily from here, so she could come back and we'd be a normal family. We weren't normal to begin with though, and I told him that. Then he said we would become normal, even if I had to vanish. I disarmed him, and that's when the Death Eater's came in. I disapparated when dad told me to. He said that I was, under no circumstances, to stay in contact with my sister, and to get Sarah from here. I got outside the wards just as they killed him. I won't make her leave, but I think I should take Sarah home, so that she can make the arrangements for the services. Kindly tell Annie that they will be at noon, at the latest, so she probably shouldn't come." He turned toward the sobbing Sarah and knelt as he picked her up off of the ground.

At that, I snapped. "Why don't you just tell me yourself, I'm right here?!"

He looked over at me coldly, and it took all of my self control not to wince at the hateful look in his brown eyes. "Fine. Don't bother showing up at my dad's funeral, because you might wither and burn in the sunlight. Unless, of course, because you somehow have this amazing potion making and spell casting talent, you manage to find something that protects you from becoming a piece of charcoal."

I gasped and blinked back my tears. Now was not the time to fall apart. "So this is it, then. Just because dad's dead, and before he died he told you to act like I'm not your sister, just some freak? Well, then, Remus, I want you to know that you'll always be my brother, and that if you ever need anything, I'll always be here. And I still want to know when you pull that stick out of your arse and get laid, alright?" He rolled his eyes.

"Well, keep that sentiment all you want, but as I believe you to no longer be my sister, I highly doubt that I'll come to you with anything. Sarah, let's go so we can get everything settled."

She walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "Don't worry, I'll come back and visit. Ted, Dora and Andromeda had to go to some thing at Ted's work, but they send their love."

She left with Remus, both of them disapparating with a small _pop! _As soon as they were gone, I felt the finality of my relationship with my twin brother ending. I blinked as I felt the giant waves of pain break over me, and I was quickly losing the ability to fight the sobs. I sank to the ground, my body shaking. "I-I r-real-really thought t-that h-he w-w-would b-b-b-be n-nice and un-under-understanding. Wh-why doe-doesn't he w-wan-want to b-be my br-bro-brother any-anymore? I-I d-did-didn't do anything to h-hi-him." My speech had become garbled by the tears that I could no longer hide, and Sirius picked me up and carried me upstairs, holding me until I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

I woke up, blinking, my eyes burning and probably red from my bout of hysterical crying last night. I looked at my alarm clock. Five thirty in the evening. I sighed as I looked around. There was a note on my bedside table. I picked it up, smiling at Sirius's familiar handwriting.

_Anastasia,_

_ I'm going to call you Annie, anyhow, it fits. Well, your High Priestess lady made us leave after you fell asleep, saying that we could come bakc next month and visit on the alloted day. I expect that she'll want to talk to you about Remus and what happened. But don't worry, I'm sure that she'll understand, she seems nice enough. Anyways, Annie, my tigercat, stay strong and give me a Patronus shout when you need anything-help with homework, guys, fashion, although I'm sure you'll manage all three perfectly well on your own. Don't let Remmy get you down, he'll coem around eventually, adn when he does, I'll hold him down for you! I'm goign to miss hanging around you when we're shopping and the like, but we'll get together sometime!_

_Love,_

_ Sirius._

_ PS-Moony still hasn't figured out that you're an animaus as well, and that you're the tiger we've been running around with._

I smiled as I finished the letter. Trust Sirius to remind me that I had outsmarted one of the smartest people we had had in our year at Hogwarts. My smile slipped as I thought of the war going on in the wizarding world, and I realized with a pain that I wouldn't be able to help out. I and to stay her or die and after that, I would have to begin my life as a Vampyre. I sighed, if the war reached the House of Night, I would fight, and I would specifically target Fenrir Greyback, because I knew that Remus wouldn't act like this if he hadn't been bitten. Oh well, I thought, it's Sunday, might as well sleep some more. Then I realized that I still didn't know what Clara was up to. I shrugged and rolled over, slipping back into a peaceful sleep.


	8. Revelations and Choices

_A/N: Look, an actual chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but it's been a hectic summer, and I've just started my Junior year of High School, and I'm taking THREE advanced classes, one of which is a foreign language, and I don't have internet at my mom's right now, so I can't update regularly anyhow. So, here you go. Yes, I am posting, because we have a break this week. Well, we high schoolers do…*smirks* And any weird phrases come from me visiting my friend in Indianapolis(HI Lynnie), who happens to have two younger brothers (4 and 7), so we come up with random "swear words" However, doing it in public makes people look at you as if you are standing there, plain as day, smoking something. It doesn't matter, though, I get those looks all the time!_

1st hour- Vampyre Sociology 101 Rm. 212-Prof. Simone

2nd hour- Drama 101 Performing Arts Center-Prof. Ella

_Or_

Sketching 101 Rm. 218- Prof. Sammie

_Or_

Intro to Music Rm. 416- Prof. Mia

3rd hour- Lit 101 Rm. 515- Prof. Leila

4th hour-French 101 Rm. 810- Prof. Sophie

Lunch Break

5th hour-Magic Course 101 Rm. 313- Prof Simone

6th hour-Fencing- Gymnasium- Prof. Lankford

I looked at the schedule that had been on my bedside table. Just a few minutes ago, Clara had come in, delivering a rather rude wake up call as she stalked straight into the bathroom. I sighed, trying to figure out what had kept her out all night, but to no avail. Clara wasn't a witch, so she _definitely_ wasn't a Death Eater, she didn't seem like the studious, scholar type, so I guess that ruled out studying, like she implied she was doing. My next guess was that she had a boyfriend, but I wasn't entirely sure if it was appropriate for a student, unless her boyfriend was a human.

Even for the few hours I had been at the House of Night, I had realized that we didn't associate with humans all that often. Sure, there were the few like me, that would keep human friends and family close, but there weren't very many. That was probably it.

Shaking my head, I turned back to the schedule in my hand. Hmmm, Vampyre Sociology, Magic, French and Fencing didn't sound too bad. I was athletic, so Fencing probably would be fairly easy, especially when it came to having quick reflexes, due to be the only female Quidditch player in the entirety of Hogwarts. I knew _some_ French (mostly swear words, so I'm pretty sure it doesn't count), I already knew a lot of magic, having just finished Hogwarts, so that was a given. I didn't have a _clue _what Vampyre Sociology was about, but I was sure it would be interesting. But, for the elective, I would take Intro to Music. I liked to sing, so what the kangaroo, I would do it!

Just then, the door to the bathroom opened, revealing a slightly less disheveled Clara. She looked at me, staring. "Don't say a word to anyone that I just got back. It'd be the end of everything for me. You know, I didn't even _want_ a roommate, they just gave me one. But I suppose they put you with me because I accept people, or at least, get to know them before I judge them. But they think that it doesn't affect me. It does, though! I have a life. Ugh!"

Wow. She sounded like every shallow, cold-hearted, pureblooded Slytherin that I had ever met. I didn't tell her that though, because she didn't know what it meant and would probably take it as a compliment. "Um, do you wanna tell me what you're talking about, so that maybe I could try to put up some charms if you wanna have the room? I'm not your everyday roommate, ya know." I shrugged, not really caring. If it was terrible, I would say something. If it wasn't too bad (like a human boyfriend, or maybe girlfriend), then I would keep my mouth shut.

"Alright. You know how, last night, when you asked if Dragon and Lenobia were really related, and we said yes, blah, blah, blah? Well, remember the one Prof we mentioned in passing, Professor Drake? Well, he's sorta my mentor, now, and I go to him for, um study sessions."

I wasn't naïve. In knew she was banging the bloke. But what was I supposed to do? Walk up to Simone and tell her I _think_ that my roommate is sleeping with a professor because she _implied_ it. Hardly. No, I would just have to be on the lookout for more clues. I nodded. "Just let me know when you want to bring him over to, erm, study."

She suddenly smiled. Oh, hell no, she would not! "You know, you're more than welcome to join us if you want. Drake thinks you're cute. He saw you when they brought you here. Just let me know if you want to get some extra help, okay?" Oh, hell, she would.

Fighting the urge to go and tell Dragon, Lenobia, Simone, and every other non-pedophile professor here, I nodded, all the while smiling painfully. "I doubt I'll ever need study help, but if I do, I'll let you know. I think I'm going to go eat breakfast."

Picking up my wand, I twirled it slightly, cleaning up my wrinkled clothes. Sliding my wand into the waistband of my dark jeans, I walked past Clara and out the door, right into the very man I wanted to protect me. _Thank you, Goddess! _I sent a silent thanks to the Goddess that I didn't have to go find him.

He smiled at me. "I was just getting ready to come and check on you Anastasia. How are you? You seemed pretty upset last night."

I smiled, trying not to fall into hysterics. I couldn't tell him about Clara and that perv, not without proof. That was the one thing that had kept us Marauders out of trouble; lack of proof. "I'm fine, thanks. And for the record 'pretty upset' is an understatement. I was bleeding psychotic. The others are down there. Sheryl, Elise and Derrick, I mean. They're pretty worried about Clara. Is she in there?"

I shrugged. "I just woke up and she was in bed. I'll let them know." He turned to go, and I bit my lip. Right now, he was the only person who _truly_ knew just how badly I had been treated these last few years, and I was deliberately lying to him, in order to protect someone who clearly only considered me a burden. He paused and turned. "Anastasia, I want you to know that if there's anything you want to tell me, even if it doesn't seem right, you can. I know how to keep a secret." This time, when he turned, he didn't turn back again.

I ran the rest of the way, down to the kitchen, where Derrick, Elise and Sheryl all sat, eating Luck Charms. Me, breakfast food? Nah, it was coffee for me. I began to search through the cupboards, only to find that there wasn't a grain of coffee in sight. This was going to be a problem, especially if I was expected to do things (like sing in public) that I didn't normally do.

Derrick raised his eyebrows as I turned to look at them. "Something the matter, Anastasia?"

I gulped. "You don't have any coffee. Why don't you have any coffee?"

They all burst out laughing. "Well, the vamps are big on healthy stuff, so I doubt you'll find coffee here." I might die. I mean it, really. Why the _hell_ can't I have coffee?! "And you'll never have any secrets, because the vamps are strangely intuitive."

I sighed. Then an idea hit me. "Could one of you show me where to find Dragon at? I'm gonna see if I can get some coffee out of him."

Derrick seemed to catch on. "Alright, let's go. He can explain all about classes and stuff when we get there. And you can explain this coffee fetish on the way."

Just as we made to leave, I heard the Twins gasp.


	9. Even more revelations

_A/N: Hello, children. Surprised to see me back so soon? So am I. Buuut, I decided to be nice and update again. I'm reading Tempted. I'm almost all the way finished, and, in all, honesty, I'm not overly pleased. Oh, well, when you read it I'm sure some of you will discover why. No fears, though, I have a plan. *grins evilly* Oh, and since both K-Chan and I are extremely busy, would anyone care to Beta this for me? Be aware that, if you reply to the request, I will check out your Beta profile. I've seen some of the bad grammar out there, and it makes awesome stories truly suck! Anyhoo, enough of my rant, and on with the chapter! Oh, and I was listening to my iPod (on shuffle, like always) and the song _I'm Blue _by Eiffel 65 came on, and I started laughing. I thought it was funny because now there are red AND blue fledglings/vamps at the HON. I'm sure I disturbed people with my laughter, but I just couldn't get the image of Lenobia (cause she's all sarcastic and stuff, and very unlikely to burst into song like that) singing that song and pointing at her Mark. Now, if you don't know that song, go listen to it, and then listen to it again, this time imaging any Blue fledgling/Vamp singing it. I don't own the HON, Harry Potter or LoTR in any way, shape or form. I am now depressed. Oh, and anything in Elvish will be in Italics. And yes, I used an online translator, so I know it's not how the Elves in LoTR talk!_

I almost didn't look to where the Twins were facing, I almost didn't ask them why they were acting like idiots, and I almost cursed out a professor. Almost. But, instead, I decided, to look where the Twins were eating someone up with their eyes, only to see Professor Pim-I mean Drake standing there, looking around, then I glanced at the Twins, only to see them practically drooling, and I had to fight back an urge to scream at this perv in Elvish. Yes, I'm weird. However, the human part of me (only a quarter, though, even without being a Vampyre fledgling) wanted to go and get someone who would handle the situation so much better. The Elven part of me (three-quarters) wanted to curse this guy out in Elfish and then beat him up. Fortunately (for him), the human side won this argument.

Then, my attention was broken by soft gasps and a chuckle. "You know, when Simone hinted you would be special, I had no idea what she meant. Now I see that you truly are special." Professor Drake was standing there, smiling at me, while I resisted the urge to hit him with Elise's bag. Or Sheryl's, depending on who had what with them today. "But, I'm not here for idle chit-chat with the strange new fledgling. You're Clara's roommate, Anastasia, and I just now watched you come down. Is she still up there?"

I sighed. "I'm assuming, since I haven't seen her pass by yet, and I haven't actually left to see someone yet."

His eyes narrowed a bit, as if he were weighing what to say next carefully. Then he drew himself closer to me and I had to fight the urge to grow nails and put a mark on the face Clara "loved". "Be careful, little girl, or you may end up getting hurt. Just know that even with your talent, if I want you, I will have you. Have a nice evening."

The Twins were scowling at him now, and Derrick looked ready to kill. I swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Did you hear what he said?" There were three very stiff nods from three very pissed off friends of mine, and before I had time to react, Derrick had grabbed my arm and was dragging me to the main building, where most of the professors' offices were held.

Suddenly spotting her, as if she had appeared out of nowhere (and she probably had), Derrick nodded at Simone, clearly asking if she could come and walk with us. "Simone, you and all of us need to go and see Dragon, because one of the Professors just threatened Anastasia."

Suddenly, she wasn't a nice Vampyre taking a stroll around the campus with a group of fledglings. Now she suddenly became a fierce Vampyre High Priestess, and was quite honestly scary. She grabbed my other arm and, together with Derrick, lifted me off of my feet and carried me, the Twins scurrying on behind. "Who was it, Anastasia?"

I pursed my lips for a moment, unsure. "I think I'd rather wait until we're inside, somewhere safe." She gave a stiff nod, leading me, along with Derrick and the Twins through the corridors.

Finally, she stopped us at a solid wood door, not unlike the others. She raised her free hand and knocked on the door, then stepped back for a moment. "Come in, Simone, Derrick, Anastasia, Clara, Elise." A gruff voice I was going to assume belonged to Dragon answered.

Simone, in all of her powerful fury, flung open his office door, still half carrying me, as well as dragging Derrick along behind me. The Twins strolled in behind him, Sheryl closing the door as she looked around.

I'd personally never seen anyone move so quickly, not even when in a duel or while watching one. Dragon stood up, walked over to Simone and myself (Derrick had decided it was probably a good idea to let go) and scrutinized my panicked expression before I could do more than register that the man needed an interior decorator. "What's happened?" He had spoken just two words, but I had never heard anyone sound so furious over my wellbeing. No, never, except maybe Lord Elindia, my Elf mentor/ lord/grandfather. "And what's going on with her features? They weren't like that yesterday."

I frowned at him, ready to tell him that nothing was wrong with my features, thank you very much, except Simone guided me (gently this time) to a chair. She disappeared for a moment, only to come back moments later with Lenobia; they had a rather large mirror balanced between them as they walked into the room. "Look, Anastasia, and tell me what is different about you."

I frowned at Dragon, ready to tell him nothing was _different_ about me, except maybe my eyes were darker than before. That was all before I caught sight of myself in the mirror; my hair (normally the color of dry wheat) had lightened slightly to look like, well, wheat still on the stalk and lengthened, my eyes, while still a violet color, had darkened to near black, signifying anger, my facial features were more pointed, and I had a fluid look about me, as if I were made out of air and water. I had almost completely forgotten I had enough Elf blood in me to do things like make myself Elven in appearance. Well, this would certainly amuse some, and frighten others. I turned toward the group, all of whom looked extremely stunned and awed. "What do you want to know, exactly?"

Simone took a deep breath, clearly trying to figure out how to phrase this question right. "How exactly did you, um, do the thing with your hair, eyes and stuff?"

I closed my eyes, trying to remember my mother's face, her voice. It didn't work; I couldn't recall either, not at all. But I could recall what she had told me, perfectly, because she had written it down for me, so I could look back on it later. "I'm three-quarters elf. One half is on my mother's side; she was a full-blooded elf, from the north. She seemed to know something was different about me from the start. She had given up her immortality to be with my father, who loved her same as she loved him. But it wasn't enough, I guess, to protect me. She contacted her old clan and asked her father to bless me, so that I would be strong enough to face the coming challenges. I remember his face quite clearly, even from the one time I saw him until a few weeks before I was Marked. He was in the field by Hogsmeade, walking around, almost as if he were waiting for me. I shouldn't have recognized him; the only other time I had seen him was as a newborn baby, when he blessed me with one quarter Elven magic. He told me of a pause, for lack of a better word, in terrible times. He said the second time would be worse, but there would be a third, and I would only help a tad. Then he told me not to worry, I'd be back.

"And, of course, there's this. Well, most of the time, glamours can hide it, but in cases of severe emotion, they come undone. I don't think my hair or features will ever be hidden again, but I think my eyes should return to normal as soon as I calm down some."

I opened my eyes again, ready for the panic attack, or the telling me I needed help, there was no way I was part Elf, they didn't even exist. But instead, Dragon spoke, grinning the entire time. "First, I want to tell you how _incredibly_ kick-arse this is, to be able to say I know an Elf. Second, do you speak Elvish?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "_Or, Ai, pai._" (Yes, I do)

Dragon's grin spread even wider, causing him to look somewhat deranged. Everyone else looked simply confused.

I smiled at the others. "_Ai mael Aelor baesia shaer, thyr." (_I speak Elvish very well, fools_.)_

Dragon decided to take pity on them and translated. "All she said was 'Yes, I do.' And then, when you all didn't realize, she insulted you. And I quote, 'I speak Elvish very well, fools.' Do you deny it, _olo_?" (Youngling)

I narrowed my eyes, deciding to test his skills as an Elvin translator. "_Si ter ser o sai shaer, thys Ai shyr baelaes ailer thol. Or tal." _(They must trust you too well, for I would never insult friends. Old man)

He took a step closer to me. "Be more wary of whom you decide to insult, _olo_, because most Elvin courts would have you killed, descendant of royalty or not."(Youngling)

I breathed out softly. "_O cyrn tia kalaraes, Pandryl!"_ (You know my grandfather, Dragon!)

He chuckled slightly, grabbing me in a fierce hug. "_Ci mael cor jhyli eil cor shor thys os sia cadolaer, paes olo." _(He sends his love and his wish for your true happiness, dear youngling)

Simone cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but none of us have a clue what either of you are saying. Not to mention we need to get this threatening Anastasia business dealt with." She looked into my eyes. "Your eyes are very light now. What does that mean?"

I smiled brightly, trying to distract everyone from the new language. Derrick would most likely want to learn, and I wouldn't be able to teach him, since I didn't know how I knew how to speak it. "It just means I'm happy. Or, more accurately, very happy; I'm usually in a good mood, so they stay regular violet most of the time."

Derrick, as suspected, spoke up. "Can you teach me how to speak Elvish?! Please oh, please, oh, please?!"

I sighed, not wanting to see the look on his face when I told him I wouldn't be able to. "I'm sorry Derrick, but I don't think that I'll be able to teach you how to speak Elvish; I don't even know how I know how, no one taught me."

He nodded, clearly considering any other options. He turned to face Dragon abruptly. "Can you teach me how to speak Elvish? You're clearly very eloquent with the language." The Twins made identical sounds of annoyance and cluelessness, and Sheryl began to reach for her purse.

"Eloquent;extremely fluent in speech or writing. Honestly, I thought everyone used that word, since, you know, it's very smooth flowing and soft on the tongue."

Derrick looked like he might cry. "Oh thank you Nyx for sending me a friend who shall be a grammar and vocabulary Nazi with me for the rest of our days!" He cried out as he hugged me tightly, pretending to sob into my shoulder. "You know something; you have the soul of a poet, Anastasia, you really do."

Simone sighed. "Alright, we're not getting anywhere we need to. Anastasia, who threatened you and why?"

I sighed and sat back down, preparing to be scolded for lying. "I think Clara and Professor Drake might be sleeping together. I don't have any standing evidence yet, but she made some subtle innuendos about, um, 'study sessions' or something like that. She said that he saw me and thought I was cute, and that he'd like to get to know me. When I said I doubted I would ever need his help, she shrugged it off and told me she didn't want a roommate anyhow, it just interfered with her plans.

"Then, when the four of us, as in Derrick, Sheryl, Elise and I were coming to visit Dragon due to the lack of coffee here, Professor Drake showed up. He asked me if Clara had left yet. I got a little smart-alec-y, as is my nature and he said 'Be careful, little girl, or you may end up getting hurt. Just know that even with your talent, if I want you, I will have you. Have a nice evening.' Then he walked up the dorm room stairs, presumably to see Clara. They didn't know about the first part until just now, though," I added, jerking my thumb at my three stunned friends.

Simone let out a sound that resembled a growl and started pacing. "I'm sorry, Lenobia, I should have heeded your advice when you said not to hire him three years ago. Now we have a case of threatened assault and a forbidden relationship between a student and a teacher. This is going to cause trouble, but without evidence, we cannot fire Drake."

I trembled for a moment, realizing what that meant; I would still be in danger, he could still get to me. And the realization was made even worse when I suddenly acknowledged that we were just blatantly using his name. "_Pas!_ He can find out we're discussing him quite easily, we need a code name or something." (Damn!)

Elise suddenly smiled evilly. "How about we call him Professor Pimp?" **(K-Chan and I started calling Loren Blake that, simply because we cannot agree on how to pronounce his name)**

I started giggling, and suddenly couldn't stop, causing everyone else to join in with me. Suddenly, a knock at the door silenced us. "Helloooo? Everyone is looking for you guys and I thought I heard the new one say something about visiting you, Dragon."

Then, without bothering to wait for an answer, Professor Drake stepped in, a rather flushed Clara at his side. "_Tal Ai caes cos, Pandryl?"_ (Can I hex him, Dragon?"

He struggled with a smile for a moment, finally succeeding before he answered back, in Elvish. "_Bai, ialyselaraelia, o talyr, olo; Ai eidylyndroji." _(No, unfortunately, you cannot, youngling; I apologize.)

I sighed, deciding to go for the dramatic affect of getting something in return. Or maybe that was just the Slytherin Affect. "_Pai Ai kaer tyri?" _(Do I get coffee?)

He groaned, because he had apparently realized what he had just walked into; let me hex him or give me coffee: both were no-no's, but the second was less likely to get me transferred somewhere else. "_Or, o kaer tyri."_ (Yes, you get coffee.)

Just then, everything went black and I collapsed amid screams of pain and shouts of laughter.


	10. author's note and sneak peak

**Hi guys! Um, look, Tempted sort of killed my plot bunny, so for now, I'm moving on to a sequel. Anastasia has been reincarnated into a new body- and she needs saved from her own internal demons and those who are against her. So for now, this story haas been discontinued. I'm sorry for all who have favorite'd, reviewed and read. I love you all. And I don't plan on letting someone continue this story. I have a vague idea of where I want it to go, and I don't really want anyone messing that up. Again, I'm sorry!**

**Here's a sneak peek**: _He had saved her once, but she wasn't sure if he would do it. No anymore, because she had lied, deliberately and with an attempt to better herself and only herself. And so what if she had to die, because he would be happy now, without her. As Erce moved over her, grinning evilly, she waited with baited breath and closed eyes for a death that never came. But maybe, just maybe, he would save her again. _

_But why couldn't she move? Something was wrong; she hadn't made the Change, and someone knew about her. She was being revoked, not able to go on. "Cora, Cora wake up! Cora, Cora please don't let go, please! Please, I need you here, with me. Please, come back." Dragon was there, pleading. Did that mean he cared?_

_Then Lenobia's voice was there. "You have to let her go, Dragon, she can't hear you."_

_"Yes she can, she's not dead yet! Erce didn't kill her. She knew something about Cora that upset her, but Cora is still here. She's breathing and there's a pulse. She's still here; Cora, wake up!"_

_You're making the Change, Cora. You'll have to tell them. Just a few more seconds; goodbye, it's been amazing._

_I breathed out a sigh as my muscles unlocked and I felt a little more free. "Good, Goddess, look at that! Think that's what Erce found out?"_

_I sat up, rubbing my head. "Wow, I've really got to quit getting thrown into walls, my head hurts. And yes, that is what she found out."_


	11. Better Now

I sighed. It had been a long night, and I had been relieved when the sun had finally started to rise, and I could at least attempt to grab some amount of sleep before my first day of class- which included Professor Blake, much to my chagrin. Unfortunately, however, my mind seemed to recognize the fact that I would have a nightmare the minute I drifted into sleep, and so I was still awake, at noon. Six hours of sleep surely meant that, even in the more interesting classes, I would be half asleep.

Forcing myself to remain as still, and as peaceful, as possible, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, in and out of my nose. Suddenly, almost impossibly so, it was easy to drift to limbo, subconsciously, before falling into dreamland.

Screams of pain; flashes of light; sobs of horror and resignation; a pleading voice; a defiant, refusing shout; a green light and a sob of hate.

I shot up in my bed, forcing myself to push back the nausea that seem imminent after that. Shaking my head, I moved from my bed to the bathroom, where I splashed water on my face; as I glanced at myself in the mirror, I was surprised to see tears creating a small river down my face.

Sniffling, I fought back sobs. Sarah. The only person in my family to treat me like I wasn't at fault for my mother's death; the one who had introduced me to Sirius, my best friend in the world; the one who held me at night, when I couldn't sleep, while Remus paraded around as a wolf; my stepmother, who had never been reluctant to defend me, even in her final moments.

Clutching the sink for support, I sank down to the floor, and prayed someone would think to check on me before I sunk below the surface, and before I found something to make the tide retreat.

A knock at the door; I smiled slightly. I could smell the Hot Chocolate and warm blueberry muffins from here. I stood, and, wiping my tears the best I could, opened the door to James and Sirius. "Come on in, guys. I'm alone now. Clara's in her own dorm," I added, hoping it would deter them from the reason for their visit.

Sirius snorted. "Come on Doll, we both know that's not why we're here, and so does James. And that incredibly attractive Vampyre you have as a mentor. Delicious."

I giggled. "I know," I said. Suddenly, I sobered up; Dragon had called them, which meant he saw right through my mask. "He called you, didn't he? Dragon, I mean. And tell the truth," I whispered.

James nodded. "Truth be told, Annie, I think that guy knows that you're going to make it through this Change; I mean, the man honestly believes in you to the point that he's willing to break the rules to help you out. Worried about you too, he is. Looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack when we arrived with mum's muffins and hot cocoa, didn't he Pads?"

I turned to Sirius, waiting for an answer. Instead, I found him gazing at my marred wrist intently, before asking the one question I had hated since last October. "How've you been? With, you know," Sirius trailed off, still gazing toward my wrist as he gestured to it silently.

I shrugged. "As good as can be expected, my furry canine friend. Better, now that I know he can't get to me. Especially not here, but I have moments."

Sirius cleared his throat, and looked at James, who sighed. "Honestly, Annie, I don't think you'd have to worry about McLaggen anywhere as of yesterday. Remus is telling everyone you died with Sarah, when Greyback attacked her. He's even convinced Dumbledore and McGonagall to go along with it. I'm sorry, Annie, so very sorry."

I tried to laugh, but it came out as a sob. Looking at James, I could see the reluctance to continue in his hazel eyes. "What else is there, James?" I forced out. Honestly, it couldn't get much worse than my own brother- my twin, no less- pretending I was dead.

James sighed. "Annie, Remus told Dragon and Lenobia and Simone about what McLaggen did. He said he's convinced it's the reason you were Marked; so that your death was easier to explain away. I'm sorry, Annie. I really am. I know you wanted that a secret. So, um, Dragon wants to see you in his office. We're supposed to take you there, with the muffins and hot cocoa and leave. Come on. Sirius, could you carry Annie? I'll manage the drinks and muffins."

I vaguely heard James say these things and barely felt Sirius pick me up from the floor by my bed. I was barely aware of the change in temperature as we moved outside, and then back inside again, before being sat in a chair that was mildly comfortable.

The low voices were there, but I didn't want to pay attention- I needed to be away, somewhere no one knew my secret, and where I could hide from it.

"Anastasia, can you hear me?"

Dragon's voice brought me back to reality, far form where I wanted to be. I nodded and turned away. I couldn't face him; I didn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes. Dragon had told me that he considered me a fighter-and now he would give up on me, and never want to see me again. He'd probably even send me away.

"I'm having a panic attack!" I gasped. The tears were hot against my already flushed cheeks, and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe. It had never mattered to me before, what people thought of me- I had strived to be different, to stand out- but suddenly, what Dragon Lankford thought of me mattered, and I was terrified of what it might be, and what he would do with me.

"Just breathe. It's fine. It's not your fault either, what happened. If you need to talk…" he trailed off, and I stopped gasping for air.

I shook my head. "Remus had no right to tell you that. I'm surprised that he told you the truth, though, that McLaggen forced himself on me. He usually maintains that it was consensual."

Dragon pushed a strand of hair out of my face and produced a cool wash cloth out of literally no where and pressed it against my cheeks. "He told me the truth, which is verified with what you've just said. I won't judge you," he whispered.

All pretences of dignity gone, I lifted my left wrist closer to the light. Dragon's eyes went wide, and he ran a finger lightly over one of my scars. "What happened?"

I barely heard him, he asked so quietly. I swallowed. "I couldn't handle it. I was messed up after it happened, and I only told Sirius, Remus and James. No one else knows. I just- Remus made it out like I had asked for it, and then I got depressed, but no one would _listen._ It was awful. And then Sev- Severus- told me about cutting, and then actually _doing_ it- making my pain _physical_- helped much more than anyone knew. I wore long sleeves, I didn't swim with everyone when the weather warmed up.

"Then Sirius talked me into trying on a short-sleeved dress, and he saw my wrist. That was in April. He's been loads of help, but sometimes I just can't stop myself. It's almost like an addiction, with all of the urges I get. I wish I could stop. But I felt so alone earlier; I've never been more grateful for James and Sirius in my life, they showed up at just the right time."

Dragon looked like he was struggling with something- an inner demon, almost- and then he swiftly moved to his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. After scribbling something on the paper with a fountain pen, he sat back down next to me.

"Here," he said, "try to read this everyday. It helped me after my parents died. I felt guilty for not being able to do anything to help, and Lenobia did this for me not long after my mum died."

I looked down at the paper. Scrawled across the very middle were the words:

_No matter what you've been told, or what you think, it's not your fault. _

I smiled softly. Maybe it really wasn't my fault, and my brother and McLaggen were both jerks with issues. But I wished I had someone I could talk to; owls wouldn't be quick enough, and I would never be able to wait for the visits they were allowed once a month. Lily was out of the question because I wasn't sure how she would feel about what had happened.

Suddenly, I felt more alone than I had in a long time. I started to cry again, but Dragon wrapped an arm around me and I completely broke. My sobs were stifled against his shirt, but I still tried to stop them.

Eventually, the tears stopped, and I pulled away. "I'm sorry," I muttered hoarsely. I wiped the remnants of tears away, and Dragon pulled a handkerchief out of- again- no where. I used it to wipe my tears again, and then gently blew my nose.

"Why are you sorry?"

I wasn't prepared for the question, and to be honest, I didn't really _know_ why I was sorry, and I just couldn't put it into words. I opened and closed my mouth several times, never once coming up with a good answer.

Dragon chuckled. "See? You don't even know why you're sorry, so you have no reason to apologize to me for that. Clearly, you have a lot of pent up feelings about this. I'm here, if you ever need to talk."

Dragon turned to the tray of cocoa and muffins, but frowned when he realized they were cold. I smiled; being in the middle of a war meant that I always had my wand on me, even after a nightmare and during a mental breakdown. With a small twitch of my wrist, the cocoa and muffins were both the right temperature.

Dragon turned to face me with a shocked look. "I'd forgotten you could do that," he mumbled.

I snorted in an extremely unladylike fashion. "How do you forget that your fledgling can do magic?" I asked. "Seriously, it just doesn't seem like something that slips your mind."

He shrugged and handed me a muffin and a mug of hot cocoa. "I can forget because it doesn't matter. Being able to do magic doesn't change who you are, or how you treat people. It just means that you can do things most people can't."

I gingerly took a sip of my cocoa before I spoke again. "So, if I wanted to talk now, would you mind?" I asked softly, trying not to get my hopes up. He might say no, I reminded myself.

Dragon shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, it would be an honour for you to pick me for your confidante.

I swallowed hard. I would not cry. Mitchell McLaggen was not worth my tears. But I couldn't help it; just thinking about it brought back horrible memories, and I curled up into a ball and let the sobs escape.

"We were in the restaurant; he hit on the waitress, and I got upset. He got angry that I wasn't letting him "be young," so I left. It wasn't even a long walk from the place to my house, but it was long enough; he caught up, and we argued for most of the way. Just across the street from my house, I told him I'd had enough. I broke it off, and when I went to cross, the street, he grabbed my arm.

"He shouted at me, for quite a bit. I'm not sure, exactly when he, you know, but I know he never quit calling me names, yelling at me for refusing him."

Never was I aware of actually speaking out loud, but I must have, because when my sobs quieted, Dragon was staring at me. He blinked once and then grabbed me in a hug so fierce I was almost certain my bones would crush. Soon, however, I realized I was merely tense- more tense than I thought was possible- and the hug was meant to sooth and calm me.

Dragon held me for another moment before letting me pull back, and then he smiled. "Feel better?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Almost. I guess that if I had bothered to tell the entire story, then I might never have been depressed. Thanks for this, by the way. I needed it," I told Dragon, doing my best to offer a genuine smile.

"You should get to bed. By the way, Simone has given you today off, given what has happened. Did you want to talk about that?"

I winced, but nodded. "Greyback had Remus. He wanted to know where our "family fortune" was, and where I am. Remus wouldn't tell him where I was, but he told Greyback that Sarah had the money," I swallowed. This was becoming rather difficult to talk about.

"When they got there, Sarah didn't talk; not about me, not about the money. Greyback killed her. End of story. Remus sold her out, in order to save me. I'd almost rather have had to fight Greyback myself than to have Sarah die for me."

Dragon gripped my arm, and suddenly I found myself angry. "How could he just _do _that? How could Remus just sell Sarah out like that? She loved us! She took care of us when dad wouldn't! And he's responsible for her death!" I shouted.

Dragon just stared. "Are you more upset that he sold your stepmother out in your place, or are you more upset that you couldn't get revenge for your mother and Remus himself?"

I opened and closed my mouth several times. "Both. To get revenge on Greyback has always been a sort of goal, I supposed you could say. But, Sarah's always been there for me. When Remus and dad…. She just ignored them, and she helped me. She introduced me to Sirius, helped me shop, gave me pocket money, everything. James and Sirius loved her like a mother."

Dragon sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I understand. But, if you think about it, I think your mother would be glad that you didn't have the chance to take revenge. I understand that I didn't know her, at all, but I had a mother too; and she would never have wanted me to seek vengeance, especially if my own life were to be placed in jeopardy."

I looked at him clearly for the first time since I had entered his office. He looked weary and downtrodden. "Dra- Pandryl. If you need to talk about something, I'm here too… I'm not so damaged I can't listen when you need a shoulder to cry on. I promise."

He cleared his throat and shook his head. "I'm fine, Anastasia, you don't need to worry. I promise, I'll be fine."

I sighed, but conceded. "Fine. But, um, one more thing…"I'm afraid to go to Spells and Rituals, with Professor Drake there."

Dragon nodded, glancing at the clock. "I know it's important for you to talk about this, but it is also important that you get some rest; you'll never recover if you can't even stay awake."

"Was he always like that?"

A nod. "Always. He and Lenobia don't necessarily get along because of it. Trust me, she's the person to go to if he starts anything, and you can't find me. Here we are, your dorm. Sleep tight."

I nodded. "G'night, Dragon. And, thanks. I mean it. I feel better than I have in ages."

Dragon smiled warmly. "Good. I'm glad. I'll come by tomorrow night, to see how you're holding up."

Smiling, I sprinted up to my room, and flung myself onto my bed, smiling. Turning over, I fell back asleep with no vestige of nightmares to haunt me.


	12. I updated guys!

**A/N: You know who's bad at updating? ME. I am. I am also terribly sorry for the horrid delay in this chapter. The amount of people who subscribed to this story astounded me, so I thought a new chapter was in order, and now that I have some solid ground to work on, I might be able to get things up over break. Also, love me because I wrote this after studying for finals. **

**On the school thing, because I'm sure you have questions: I won't be focusing on all of the classes Anastasia takes. Spells and Rituals, obviously, and maybe French, her magic class and one or two more will be there occasionally, but the focus of it will be on her getting better bit by bit. Err... if anyone knows of any rituals that might be used, could you PM me? Thanks! :) **

"Oi! Wake up, Annie, I have news!"

I pulled a pillow over my head. "James Potter, if you do not immediately cease and desist so I can sleep, I will leave this bed with the sole intention of feeding you to Inferi."

He chuckled. "Fine. Guess I won't tell you what happened when I proposed."

"Lily said yes, Potter, don't kid yourself about tricking me."

"You're no fun when you're sleeping. Padfoot," James whined, "Annie's too sleepy to be fun."

"Prongs, it's 6 am. I'm bloody cranky at being awake right now. I kind of want to kill you."

"Why the ever living Hell would you propose at 6 in the morning!"

"It just felt like the right time."

"We were in the shower, James." Lily intoned dryly.

I sat up and stared at the three of them. "You're a true romantic, James. Is that the only reason you're here when I'm supposed to be asleep?"

Sirius grinned and flopped down on my bed. "Well, now that you mention it, now that your roommate is gone, we figured we'd just visit you. You know-"

"Make sure I don't kill myself." I interrupted coolly.

"Annie, listen. You were worse than I've seen you in a long time, last night. You haven't just spaced out like that since, what, March? I don't give a damn about this once a month visitation rule they have, Annie, if I think you need me, I'm coming to see you."

I sighed and pulled at my hair. "Thanks, guys. I know I sounded bitchy, but I do appreciate what you do for me." James flopped across my legs and grinned. "Potter, you're very heavy. Get up. Now."

"No can do, doll. This bed is comfortable."

"Are Anastasia's legs comfortable as well?" The snide voice seeped in from the doorway.

"Derrick!" I grinned at him, though I was surprised to see him here.

"Friends of yours, I hope." It wasn't a question, and he was regarding the three of them in a manner reminiscent of the way Orion Black had watched me when I first became Sirius' girlfriend.

"Yeah. They're just here to make sure I'm coping with everything. Although why everyone feels the need to stop by at six in the bloody morning is beyond me."

"Well, if they've decided you're coping alright, they might want to leave. Simone is on her way here. I think she wants to check on you too."

I waved my hand at the three of them and motioned to the window. They waved goodbye and were gone seconds later. "Derrick?"

"She sent me to wake you up. I'll be okay. Seriously, though, they shouldn't be sneaking in like that. Anastasia, you could get into serious trouble if they're caught."

"I know, Derrick, I know. There are just some things I can't deal with alone. Depression and my brother abandoning me and my father and stepmother dying are some of those things." Just as I finished speaking, Simone drifted through the door.

"I apologize for the hour, but we need to talk. I was informed of your situation by your brother last night, and while you may think he had no right to do so, I for one am glad he did. Vampyres don't often commit suicide, and never have fledglings done so. I'd hate for the first fledgling suicide to be here. I also," she continued gravely, looking at me in the same manner as Derrick had looked at the other three, " need to be sure that you will not use any powers you may discover for revenge."

My jaw dropped and my temper returned full force. "Really?" I snapped. "That's what you had to wake me up for? To tell me something I already knew?"

"Such insolence. I'm pleased. I was worried you'd be lifeless, but there's fire in you yet."

"Are we actually having this conversation, or will I wake up in a few minutes?"

"We are indeed having this conversation, I assure you. I was merely assessing the level of treatment you require."

"Treatment?" I mumbled. I wasn't at my best, having been awake for a solid fifteen minutes.

"I can't let the mental illness of a fledgling go untreated, Anastasia. You will meet with your mentor three times a week, though if you feel you need to see him about something urgent, you may go as you need to, and visit once a month with me. We will do this until I deem you less of a suicide risk."

"Is that all I am to you? A risk?"

"I didn't mean it that way. I do have your best interests at heart, but you must understand one thing. The High Council will be suspicious if they get a report of a fledgling with a diagnosed mental illness and see that I have done nothing about it. In doing something about it, I cannot have you, when you are clearly prone to burying your feelings, diagnose yourself as fine or not. I am trained, you are not."

"So that's it. It all comes down to someone who doesn't know more than two or three things about me to decided if I'm well or not?"

"If you cooperate, when it comes to that, I will know you. We'll talk more when you've had some rest." With that she walked out without another word.

"What was that about?"

"I had a nasty breakup last summer. Suffice to say he didn't like the shift in power. I'm sure you can guess at what happened after."

Derrick nodded. "Listen, there's this bloke who goes here. Says he knows you. He wants to see you. Is that okay?"

"Oh yes, please do send random men to my room as we discuss my rape, Derrick, please." I sneered.

"Oh it is you. How charming of you to keep your humor through it all."

"Reg! Sorry, Derrick."

"It's fine. I do understand. I could have mentioned a name, at least. See you in class. We have Spells and Rituals together, I think."

I nodded and waved him off. "How've you been, Reg? And I want an honest answer."

"So long as you give me one. I've been good, actually. It was hard to deal with not using magic at first, but I'm used to it now. Honestly, I've missed you a bit. People here revere me, and it would get to my head if I didn't remember your biting comments now and again. You?

"Not very well, actually. I'm sure you heard. Sirius and James helped the best they could over the summer, but once school started, we all got caught up. Peter's been acting funny, James started dating Lily, Sirius was panicking about his sexuality, and then Severus showed me his razor blade and then in March things got really bad, because dad started asking about Mitch, but I didn't want to tell him."

"What happened? Tell me, please, so I know who I have to kill."

"Me? I decided that the logical thing to do to spare my family any grief over me dating such a prick would be to throw myself from a cliff into the lake."

"Really? That's what it came down to? How'd you survive that?"

"Lily may or may not have come along, flipping clear the hell out. She was just short of making sure I didn't jump. Luckily, James was with her, and as he is prone to do, was carrying his broom in his pocket. He pulled me out. He and Sirius had a long talk with me. I talked to my dad, and we were better until I got Marked."

"Maybe he was trying to protect you."

"I beg your pardon."

"You remember why I wanted everyone to think I was dead, Annie. I didn't want them using me. He probably knew that the Death Eaters would go after you. You're bound to be powerful, you know. It was only a matter of time after you graduated anyway."

I nodded. "I'm being treated a bit like a basket case that's also a liability, but it's a lot better than having my depression ignored."

"You have nightmares. It's not a question, don't answer it, honestly Annie. Does it help any if you're not alone?"

"I had a nightmare when Clara was in here, so no, it doesn't."

"I didn't mean that. I meant does it help if you've got someone next to you, so you know you're alright, that you can't be harmed."

"I have no idea. I didn't really want to ask Remus, I promised Sirius I wouldn't help him hide his sexuality, Lily would've killed me if I'd asked James, and there isn't enough money in the world to get me to ask Peter."

"I'll help. I swear I won't try anything. But I know that the nightmares are keeping you from attending classes, and that's not good. The classes here are excellent."

"Look, Reg-"

"No, you look. I ran into Sirius on their way up here. He made me promise to look after you, and I did promise. So that's what I'm going to do."

"Look after me? How?"

"I'll do what I can as it comes about."

"You make no sense, Black. And I don't need your help!"

"You do."

"Fine. I can't accept your help. Now can you go?"

"Why not? I'm not leaving until you give me an answer."

"I know you were listening earlier. Did you notice that James was the only one to get on the bed, and that's because he doesn't know what boundaries are, Reg. It's still really hard for me to let people get too close."

"Look, we're having a civil conversation about your deeply rooted psychological issues. I think you're letting me get pretty close."

"I meant physically you arse," I snapped. I was officially sick of his games.

"Oh, right. Look, I won't push my luck. I'll even kip in the other bed just so I can wake you up when you have a nightmare, or a flashback. Please, just... I promised Sirius that I would look after you, and even if he doesn't know it's me, I want to keep that promise."

"No. You don't need to get into trouble for me. I'll be fine."

"James and Sirius won't always be able to just show up, Annie. Last night was coincidence. Dragon got worried about you, so he called them. They don't have some sixth sense that will enable them to come to your aid if you're about to break down. What're you going to do if it happens again? Huh? How do you plan on getting help? Because they're going to have work, and your brother is a dick, so don't even think about saying him."

I bit my lip. "It's not that I don't appreciate your concern, Reg. It's really not. I just.. I just don't like people seeing me like that. It's scary. Sirius has said so. I don't.. If you've ever seen me in that state, I guess that it's not easy to calm me down or get me to listen. And I think that's what's scary. I don't respond. James said he's never been more afraid than when he pulled me out of the lake. I was breathing, but it's like I was off in another world."

"You plunged yourself into the Black Lake in March. It was bound to send you into shock."

I shook my head. "You don't understand. Until I woke up, the last thing I remembered from that day was reading dad's letter. I don't even remember getting to Hogsmeade or making the decision to jump I just woke up and dad was there, and Remus and Sirius and James and Lily. I've only seen James look so torn up once in my life apart from then, Reg, and it was when he saw his parents' dead bodies."

"Please don't blame yourself. Like I said, it was a shock to you."

"It's not just that. Everything was building up. And did you know that my dad was the only person to try to figure out why I would jump? Everyone else was furious or disappointed in me for making such a rash decision. Remus was furious. 'How else am I to survive this world, Annie? Without you, everything goes to some distant cousin who doesn't care about me, who would probably just as soon see me rot in the street!' I've never been so hurt by a group of people I considered friends in my entire life."

"What?"

"My brother can't inherit anything by law. The goblins will know I'm not dead, so I'll still get my inheritance, but I need to seriously think about whether or not I should give him anything."

"He doesn't deserve it. You know he doesn't."

"I know, but, I just... I want to prove I'm not like him. I want to show him his attitude doesn't make him less of a brother in my eyes."

"You're rambling. Go to sleep."

"Only if you promise to leave as soon as I fall asleep. We'll both be in enough trouble as it is for this."

"I promise," he said quietly. I suddenly didn't have the energy to make sure he was honest. Within a few moments, I had drifted off into the world of dreams.


End file.
